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Business 100 Profiles  Thomas
J. Tierney
Bridgespan Group
Thomas J. Tierney is a recognized leader in serving the nonprofit sector.
In 1999 he co-founded the Bridgespan Group, an independent, nonprofit
organization designed to provide general management consulting services
to foundations and other nonprofits.
He previously was CEO of Bain & Company until stepping down in 2000.
A native of California, he received his B.A. in Economics from the University
of California at Davis, and later attended Harvard Business School where
he received his M.B.A. In 2002 he co-authored Aligning the Stars, which
was published by Harvard Business School Press.
Thomas is a director of e-Bay as well as many nonprofit organizations
including the United Way Massachusetts Bay, and the California Nature
Conservancy. He is also a supporter of The American Ireland Fund. Thomas,
a fifth-generation Irish-American, credits his philanthropy to his Irish
heritage, which he says “influences my outlook on life, my commitment
to people and place, my family orientation and even the twinkle in my
eye.” He is married with two children.
 Dan
Touhey
Spalding Sports
Dan Touhey is Vice President of Marketing at Spalding Sports. In 2001,
Dan was awarded the patent for, and launched the first and only basketball
with a built-in micro-pump. The Spalding Infusion became the most successful
basketball ever, and was the first in a series of groundbreaking innovations
in sports equipment for Dan.
In 2004, Dan was presented with the Russell Corporation’s Chairman’s
Award, and earlier this year, he was named one of the Forty under 40 by
Business West. A second-generation Irish-American, Dan has stayed close
to his roots. During his junior year at Boston College he studied abroad
at University College, Cork, earning a minor in Irish Studies. He also
holds an MBA from NYU.
Dan credits his success to the memory of his Irish grandparents. “From
the sweat of their blue-collar beginnings in this country my family and
I have achieved tremendous educational and professional opportunities.
I have to believe my grandparents would be thrilled with how it all turned
out.” Dan is married with two children.
 Susan
Ungaro
James Beard Foundation
As President of the James Beard Foundation, an organization dedicated
to celebrating,
preserving, and nurturing America's culinary heritage, Susan Kelliher
Ungaro hopes to expand the foundation’s culinary scholarship program,
and increase its membership base and promotion on a national level.
Before joining the Beard Foundation in April, 2006, she was editor-in-chief
of the much-loved Family Circle magazine.
A former Irish America Keynote Speaker, Susan’s many honors include
the William Paterson University Legacy Award, and the NOW Legal Defense
and Education Fund Muriel Fox communication award. She was also honored
by President Reagan’s Office for Consumer Affairs for her “outstanding
contribution to increasing consumer awareness in America.”
Susan is a first-generation Irish-American. Both her father, Thomas
Gerard Kelliher, and her mother, the former Mary Christina Brosnan, were
born in Castlegregory, County Kerry. She lives in New Jersey with her
husband and three children, and has visited Ireland four times.
 James
V. Walsh
Meijer, Inc.
James V. Walsh is senior vice president and chief financial officer
of Meijer, Inc., which employs over 60,000 people and is credited as introducing
the supercenter retail concept in 1962. Meijer is one of the top ten privately
held companies in the U.S.
Walsh has been with the company for 15 years and first held the position
of VP Controller. Prior to that he worked at the Warehouse Club Inc.,
where he was president of the $200 million publicly held membership club.
James is active in the community. He is a church and scout leader, coaches
youth sports, is a United Way leader, and a
member of the Catholic Secondary Schools Development Committee.He received
his BBA from Loyola University, and an MBA in Finance from Northwestern
University, where he sits on the University Business Advisory Council.
He became a CPA in Illinois in 1976.
James is a second-generation Irish-American whose father and mother’s
families (the Burkes) both came from Mayo. He is married for 31 years
and has three children and four grandchildren.
 Joseph
Walsh
Curtis Circulation Company
Look at any magazine rack in the United States or Canada, and you’ll
find the fruits of Joseph Walsh’s labor. Walsh is chairman and chief
executive officer of the Curtis Circulation Company, the leading national
distributor of magazines, with over $1.7 billion in retail sales and 36
percent marketplace share. In all, Curtis distributes some 900 publications
throughout the world, including Newsweek, Woman’s Day, Elle, and
The Economist.
In addition to his duties at Curtis, Joe also provides support to a homeless
shelter in East Harlem, New York, which he and several fellow businessmen
helped to open. He is also heavily involved with a number of Irish organizations,
such as Project Children, which to date has brought over to the United
States 20,000 Catholic and Protestant children for a four week vacation,
the Irish American Partnership and the Irish American Unity Conference.
As a first-generation Irish-American whose parents both hail from Cork,
Joe’s Irish heritage is a very important to him. He, his wife, and
their five children are all Irish citizens.
 Matthew
M. Walsh
The Walsh Group
As Chief Executive Officer of The Walsh Group, Matthew Walsh represents
the third generation of
family ownership and management of the successful building and development
company.
The Walsh Group is recognized as one of the nation’s top builders,
managing an annual volume of work valued in excess of $2.3 billion.
Matthew attended the University of Notre Dame and also holds a degree
of Juris Doctor from Loyola University School of Law. He currently sits
on the Advisory Board at the University of Notre Dame.
In 1990, as a way to encourage inner-city minority and female students
to study and intern in the construction and engineering fields, Matthew,
along with his brother, Daniel, created the Walsh Foundation.
A second-generation Irish-American, Matthew was born and raised in Chicago,
where he was honored to serve as the Grand Marshal of the St. Patrick’s
Day Parade. His family hails from County Armagh as well as County Mayo.
Matthew is married with three children.
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